Even though International Women's Day has already come and gone, there's no reason the celebration of women should stop. So, thanks to some unearthed behind-the-scenes Star Wars footage, it's a great time to honor a trio of female rebel pilots who sadly got left behind during the production of Return of the Jedi.
YouTube account 70sSciFiBoy - known primarily for posting commercials, interviews, screen tests, and other archival footage from the olden days of Star Wars - took the opportunity on International Women's Day to upload some rather rare clips from the production of Return of the Jedi, still seen by some as the perfect end to the Star Wars saga. The video features what appear to be unused shots of 3 women performing in their roles as rebel pilots, presumably meant to be used during the film's climactic Battle of Endor. Eagle-eyed fans might recognize one of the actresses, but the other two seem to be completely new.
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From the beginning, viewers will notice an off-screen voice reciting the lines for the actresses to repeat. This might suggest that the 3 were brought in with a larger group of talent to shoot some quick footage as background pilots to help fill in the shots of the space battle. The first actress to appear, Vivienne Chandler, reportedly had at least an entire page of dialogue at one point, according to the video's description. Unfortunately, she and the unnamed 3rd actress were ultimately cut from Return of the Jedi, leaving their potential entirely up to speculation.
The second actress, Poppy Hands, is the one whom fans might remember, as she actually did appear in the final film for the single line, "Got it." However, she was dubbed over by a male actor for an unknown reason, leaving many completely unaware of her true nature. For whatever consolation it may be worth, her character has been acknowledged as a woman in official Star Wars canon. Named Sila Kott, she died heroically during the Battle of Endor and was eventually immortalized, in a way, when her home planet built the Sila Kott Flight School in her honor.
There are a number of reasons these 3 women might have been (largely) cut from Return of the Jedi. A more cynical theory might suggest that some rather unfortunate sex and gender-related prejudices played a role. But in a less depressing and more nerdy mindset, it could also have had something to do with Chandler and Hands' rather posh accents, which might have clashed with the predominantly American dialects possessed by the other pilots. The fact that Hands' sole speaking line was dubbed by an American man lends credence to both theories. That's not to mention the unnamed 3rd actress. While she seemed to have a bit of trouble with some of her lines, she definitely had a lot of spirit too, which could have worked well with the finished product and might have brought a less stereotypical character to Star Wars.
It's not all sad, though. Aside from Hands appearing in Return of the Jedi, the Star Wars series has (albeit slowly) become more and more inclusive over the years, with female pilots showing up all the way back in 1999's still occasionally confusing The Phantom Menace and a non-binary character appearing in the Star Wars: Squadrons game. There's still a long way to go for true equality, but learning about what's been missed in the past is always a good starting point.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is now available on Disney Plus.
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Source: 70sSciFiBoy/YouTube